After a long recovery process for Konnor Griffin that began back on July 5th when he suffered a torn tendon on his ring finger and was placed on the 60-day injured list, it seems like he’s approaching the light at the end of the tunnel.
During his six-week follow-up with the team’s medical staff Monday, they discovered that his recovery was ‘a little bit ahead of schedule’. Later this week, he will be able to finally put his hand back in a glove again and be cleared to grip a bat as well.
“It was nice hearing the splint route went the right way, and now I’m going to just see how it feels during baseball activities,” Griffin said before the Bucs’ matchup with the Tigers Tuesday.
Griffin will begin a unique rehab assignment in Florida with Bradenton likely on Thursday, where he will work on throwing, catching and eventually swinging during a solid chunk of his time there. Due to the nature of the 60-day IL, he will not be able to actually suit up and play again in the MLB until September 4th.
“It’s nice. I’m gonna get down to Florida here soon and get back to work and try to get back on the field,” Griffin said.
“You gotta ease back into it. I haven’t swung in six weeks, so I’m gonna just start out with light swings and then get into it. Other than that, it’s just (about) getting back into it as quickly as I can,” he added.
Griffin said Tuesday that after all of his time away from the field, he’s ‘not really sure’ where his swing timing will be when he steps up to the plate again.
“I know I can get activated on September 4th, so I kind of have that in mind. It’s not a for sure date, it’s just my goal to be back then,” Griffin said.
“I just want to see how it feels getting back out there and see what we’re dealing with, but it should be completely healed. Hopefully the splint did its job, and as of now it feels good," he added.
Watching his team battle through the latter half of the season hasn’t been easy for Griffin, but he’s been impressed with how the Pirates have handled things in his absence.
“It’s been tough. I want to be out there with them in the fight doing my part, but they’re doing a great job. We just have to keep winning some games,” Griffin said.
